Too Late
by Sexy Vegetarian Vampire
Summary: Bella was being stalked by those four men in Port Angeles. What if Edward didn't make it in time? BxE 4 evah!
1. Chapter 1

**I know that I really shouldn't start another story while I'm still writing the other one but I'll update both. I promise. This idea just randomly came to me and I had to write it. Sorry if someone else already has.**

**Takes place during Twilight while Bella is being stalked by those four guys in Port Angeles. Then Edward comes and saves her in his shiny silver Volvo. What would happen if Edward didn't get there soon enough? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse.**

My brain was frozen in place like a wheel that could no longer turn. I was paralyzed by my own fear. I knew exactly what was about to happen but I could do nothing to stop it. Soon, I would be nothing more than a news story of a young, innocent girl found dead on the streets of Port Angeles. There was no one here to save me.

I stopped dead in my tracks. There were two men on either side of me. I had no chance of out running them or fighting them off. All hope was lost.

They were close enough now that I could see the sick, twisted grins of the two men in front of me. I spun on my heel, only to see that the others had expressions that matched. They would enjoy this. I could see it on their faces.

"Hey honey," said one man from behind me, causing me to jump into the air. He chuckled lightly before continuing. "You look a little scared. Anything we can do to help?"

What was I supposed to do? My mind was stuck. Scream! I tired to gasp in as much oxygen as possible but my breathing was too shallow. I couldn't make a sound and I was starting to become light headed, dizzy.

"Ya, don't worry Babe," the one next to him, "we won't bite."

They were only feet from me now. I forced my legs to move, dashing out into the street. My only hope of escape. An arm caught me suddenly around my waist and I grunted as I was pulled back onto the sidewalk.

"Now, now," someone said "not trying to run away from us now are you?"

I shook my head numbly, his arm circling my waist was painfully tight.

"Because that would be a very bad idea, wouldn't it boys?" he continued. They nodded in agreement. I stood, paralyzed by my own fear, unable to move, to scream, to save myself.

"I want her first this time Jared," the man holding me said to one of his companions.

"No fair! You got the last one first!" he replied, outraged.

"Boys, since you can't seem to stop fighting, I'm going to get her all to myself." The oldest looking one said. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision.

"Aw, come on!" the other man said. He came over to me and the man with his arm still tightly wrapped around the middle of my body. That one griped me so tightly he was going to leave bruises, not that it would really matter in the long run. "Such a pretty thing," he continued, stroking my face with his fingertips. "How old are you?"

I was stunned. I couldn't speak. I couldn't do a damn thing!

"I _SAID_ HOW OLD ARE YOU!" his voiced was raised and his spit flew into my face. When I still couldn't say a word, he slapped me across my cheek, hard. It felt like I had been burned, and I tried not to dwell on the fact that this was simply a small sample of the pain I was about to face.

"S-sevent-teen" I managed to choke out.

"Very good," he said, easily pleased.

"Hey Paul! That's not very nice," the one holding my waist spoke again. His lips pressed against the red blotch, slowly forming on my cheek. It stung badly and I gasped out loud. "You like that do you honey?" his lips now trailed along my jaw, down my neck. "I could give you so much more . . ." he trailed off suggestively.

I shook my head back and forth, trying to get his mouth off me. It had found it's way down my shoulder, and his nose was slowly pushing the sleeve of my blouse off me.

"Ahh, you don't want me Darling?" he questioned, moving his face to the hallow beneath my throat. "That's too bad for you then, isn't it?" I whimpered as his lips moved against my bare skin. "Guys, leave me alone with her. Take Paul's car home and I'll meet you there when I'm done with her."

"Fine," the one called Jared said in a huffy voice. I barely herd the sound of three pairs of retreating feet.

"Mmm . . ." his breathing began to speed up. Quick gusts of hot air were being blown onto my exposed skin. "Now where shall we begin?"

**Reviews? Maybe?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Please don't kill me 4 not updating! I'm bad I know...**

**Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of this whole "disclaimer" thing soooo . . . here's the disclaimer for the rest of the story: I DON'T OWN IT! U CAN'T SUE ME!! **

"_Mmm . . ." his breathing began to pick up. Quick gusts of hot air were being blown onto my exposed skin. "Now where shall we begin?"_

His arms locked firmly around my body and he held me close. Violent shivers rocked my frame. I still could not find my voice. Now the man's lips came up to my own. Roughly, they forced my mouth open. I did the only thing I could think of. I bit down on his tongue, hard. 

"Bitch," he muttered. His words were slurred. The blood trickled down his chin as he spat loudly on the ground. Already, I was becoming faint. As easy as it would be to slip down and let the darkness have me, I fought to stay conscious. 

I simply couldn't die now. Charlie and Renee would be heartbroken. I hadn't even finished highschool yet. This wasn't right. I didn't want this horrid man to be the last thing I remembered from my life.

"Stop . . ." I pleaded, my voice sounded weak even to me. He only laughed in response and released one arm from me. With it, he stroked my cheek and brushed my hair away. Suddenly, he spun me around and pressed my body against the solid concrete wall behind us. The back of my head smashed into it with sickening crack. 

His hands made their way up my torso, feeling every curve. Then he tore off my blue blouse and my bra at the same time. Tears were streaming thick and fast down my face. I could do nothing to stop him. Even if I made a noise, there would be no one to hear my screams. 

My head was soaked with my own blood as he began to squeeze my breasts. I whimpered again. It was hopeless . . . there was no knight in shining armor coming to save me now. I was simply another body to this man. Another helpless woman to take advantage of.

I was slipping into a state of numbness. My fingers were tingling and my vision was blurred. I couldn't feel what he was doing to me anymore. There was no point in fighting. Why give him the satisfaction?

Suddenly, I sensed him pulling off my jeans. Now I choked on the tears that flowed down my face. One phrase kept repeating through my head. _This cannot be happening._ All my clothes were soon removed and I felt exposed, disgusted. Why me?

In one swift motion, he slung me to the ground. Somehow, he had already thrown his clothes onto the pavement behind us. His body hung over mine. He pressed himself into every curve. Heat radiated off of him like a space heater. 

My legs were forced open and then he paused. "This is going to hurt, Sweetheart." He whispered. His breathing was heavy and sweat dripped off of him onto my bare skin. My arms were pinned at my sides. I couldn't have moved no matter how hard I tried.

Without another warning, he entered me. The pain was so excruciating that I found my voice. For one brief second, an earsplitting scream shattered the still night. Then a hot hand was clamped tightly over my mouth. A rough whisper sounded from above me. 

"There's no one to hear you scream now. No Prince Charming is coming to your rescue."

**Yes I know it's really short and I haven't updated FOREVER. Next chapter is Edward's POV and yes he will save her, finally. I'm actually surprised only two people recognized the names in the last chapter. Paul, Jarred? WOLF LOVERS BEWARE!!**

**There is an important poll on my profile, so after you review, go vote! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the deal, I have a giant 10 page research report, due on Friday, that just so happens to be 25 of my final English grade, of which I have only written 4 paragraphs. So, naturally, I have decided to do something much more fun and write fanfics instead. Aren't you lucky!?**

Edward's POV

I felt unreasonably anxious as I sat in my car. I searched through the minds of all the people sauntering by. It was getting late now. The sun was beginning to set, causing the clouds on the horizon to shimmer with majestic pink and orange streaks.

Curse the sun, if it had not been shining so brilliantly right then, I would have already found Bella. However, here I was, confined to a dark alley. I was forced to listen to the thoughts of others for any trace of her.

Yet, I still didn't know why. The evening was calm and peaceful. Nothing was out of the ordinary. But, for some reason, there was a funny feeling in my gut that said everything wasn't all right. Where was she? If I could just see her, make sure she was safe . . .

_Oh, just look at that skirt! It would go great with . . . _Next.

_Man, I shouldn't have eaten all that popcorn at the movies . . . _Unhelpful.

_If only he would pay more attention to me. I'm sure Oliver would really like me. Maybe if I ask him to the dance next weekend, then . . ._

Dammit! Why had none of them seen Bella? I clasped my hands over my ears in a vain attempt to block out the noise. I began to beat my head furiously against the dashboard. Stupid sun. If it would hurry up and set then I could set out in search of Bella myself.

Instead of continuing to dent the interior of my Volvo, I jabbed my finger at the buttons on the stereo. The smooth sound of classical Jazz floated through the speakers. I tried to take deep calming breaths. Just sitting here was not going to help Bella. What was I thinking? Nothing was wrong with her. Yet somehow, I couldn't shake off the nagging suspicion that something bad was going to happen.

I needed to do something useful or I was going to explode. So I continued rifling through thoughts of the people around me.

_I really need to get to the library soon . . ._

_OHMYGAWAD! Iliketotally_need_thoseshoes. Theyaresooooooadorable. . ._

_Stupid Elders. What do they know anyway? I don't want to lead the whole tribe. _A deep male voice ranted from somewhere near my hideout. I listened closer. Focusing . . . following. _I don't have to obey them. I was myself before I was their 'protector'. _

Elder? Protector? _Wolves_! I realized that his voice was vaguely familiar. It was Sam Uley. He had been the first wolf to transform when my family and I had returned to Forks. However, the rest of the boys had yet to follow him. I concentrated on his thoughts attempting to block out all others.

_They never gave me a choice. They never asked if I wanted this. Now I can't even be with Leah anymore. SHUT UP PAUL! NO ONE FUCKING CARES!_

There must have been others with him. I concentrated on their thoughts as well.

_Seriously, she's gorgeous. I wish she wasn't dating that pretty boy Kevin. Wait until Jarred hears what he said to me in Biology the other day . . . _that must have been Paul. In his mind I saw the others. There were four boys walking together along the street. Their leader, Sam, strolled along slightly ahead of the others. Paul walked along with another man who must have been Jarred. Trailing along behind them was a young boy who looked no older than fifteen. They all had the same russet colored skin with dark hair and eyes.

We knew that Sam had transformed into a wolf two years ago when we moved to Forks. Our families met to negotiate the treaty set up long ago to keep the peace. We hadn't been expecting them to still carry the mutation that enabled them to change into one of the few creatures who could actually destroy us.

But the strangest thing was the fact that none of the others seemed to have transformed for the first time yet. Jarred's thoughts confirmed my suspicions.

_I'm so glad that Sam decided to let us in on the secret. Were they really going to keep us in the dark until we exploded into giant monsters? That's not fair. We deserve a choice._

It seemed like we had a bad case of the 'Rebellious Wolf Disease'. Nothing too serious, really. I was sure that they would all get over it when they found out how much fun it was to kill the evil vampires. It wasn't that terrible at all. They might try to reek havoc in their town to make a point, but that would be about it. Right then, it didn't seem like a problem to me. That was where I made my first grave error of the night.

I noticed that it had grown dark outside while I concentrated and, without bothering to listen to the last boy's thoughts, I drove in the opposite direction.

Bella had to be out here somewhere. It was possibly the smallest tourist town in Washington and I had managed to lose her. How was that even possible? I felt so helpless. Who knew what kind of trouble Bella could get herself into? I tried searching for Angela and Jessica's thoughts but they were nowhere to be found.

I drove through streets lined with the late-night shoppers in a daze. Just hoping to spot her, smell her, anything.

However, nothing I did seemed to do any good. She must have gone home, I reasoned with myself. But something in my gut told me that was not the case.

I turned my car sharply into a dark alley between two stores. I was so preoccupied that I almost didn't see the brick wall moving closer and closer to my face until it was too late. I stomped on the brake at the last second and my Volvo skidded to a halt. Where was she? I asked myself for what felt like the millionth time that night.

A sudden gust of air caused me to freeze. On it, wafted a familiar scent. I knew that I would recognize that smell anywhere I went.

_Rosalie_.

**HAHAHA!! I bet you thought it was Bella. Ya, I know I lied. I said that he would rescue Bella in this chapter. Sorry to disappoint but next week is my Spring Break (FINALLY) so I WILL update again. Oh, and I wish you all a happy April Fool's day or Jour de Poisson (for those of you in France). **

**I would like to add a note to those of you who say the wolves would never do something like this. I agree with you. However, in my story, they would . . . and do. I made Sam very OOC. Feel free to flame but I have top ask you to make them clever. It's no fun to read boring flames. REVIEW!! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Much to my displeasure, the epitome of vampire novels (Twilight) belongs to the quintessence of amazing writers (Stephenie). **_**Hee hee... English vocab make me sound el smart!**_

Where was she? I asked myself for what felt like the millionth time that night.

A sudden gust of air caused me to freeze. On it, wafted a familiar scent. I knew that I would recognize that smell anywhere I went.

_Rosalie_.

What was she doing here? A low growl began to grow from deep in my chest.

"Gosh Edward," she said sarcastically, moving closer to me as spoke. "Look's like I'm not the only one with a temper, anymore."

My only reply was a small his as I climbed out of the car to face her. I hadn't hear her coming and I had to focus on finding Bella right now.

"What do you want?" I spat.

"You're being stupid." Her thoughts were telling me the same thing. We were only a foot apart now and she stopped, placing one hand on her hip.

"Well," I said. Now I was seriously mad. "Now that you have finished with your _extremely_ clever comments on my intelligence, I have to be going."

I pushed past her to continue my search. She stumbled to the side but I refused to look back. "Wait!" she called out.

When I didn't pause, Rosalie darted around me to stand at the mouth of the alleyway. She looked at me menacingly, teeth bared, preparing to fight. I crouched low waiting for her to make the first move.

"Hear me out." She snarled. _Just listen to me for once, Edward. That's all I'm asking for._

I really wasn't in the mood to do anything except see Bella safe but my sister wasn't letting me out without a fight. I was sure that I would be able to beat her if it came to that, but I wanted to avoid the questions from our family. "Make it quick."

"Thank you," she said curtly. "I just wanted to say that you are being stupid about this whole thing and སྭ"

"I do believe that I've heard that before," my voice filled with hatred. "Let's not be repetitive, my dear."

"So sorry," she retorted. "I was talking about that human you've been stalking. It's not healthy. Our family misses the old you. This new person they expect me to call a brother is preoccupied with keeping worthless beings from harm. You are not focusing on the thing that really matters: _us_, the people that love you. You unite us, keep the family together. Without you around . . .it's so different. And I don't mean that in a good way. We miss you, Edward."

"I'm still myself." I was stunned by what she had said. And, though I tried to hide it from Rosalie, I was ashamed for causing the ones I loved pain. "I just can't help it. Whenever I'm away from her, I worry that she's going to get hurt. I love you all too. But I can't stop myself from following my gut instinct. And right now it's telling me that Bella is in trouble, so _move!_"

I was fuming now. What if something bad had happened? It would all be because Rosalie was keeping me here . . .

"Edward," Rosalie was angry, too. "You need to forget this little obsession and get back to reality. She's _human_. You can't fall in too deep. It's dangerous for all of us. Besides, it's not like she's any different from all the other worthless beings on this planet. Do you understand me? She means nothing!"

At that I pounced, the growls I had been suppressing since I noticed her tore through my throat. How dare she say that my Bella meant nothing? She was everything . . .

Rosalie didn't even have time to react as I leapt straight at her, pinning her body to the ground. She struggled beneath me but I refused to let her up.

"Say that again," I snarled. She flinched away from the venom in my voice. "I dare you."

With a strength I didn't realize she possessed, Rosalie flung me off of her. I crashed into the wall behind us with the sound of a gunshot. My body was stiff but relatively unharmed. I jumped up and returned to the fight, leaving the crumbling bricks behind. I thanked whatever god existed that we were in a

"You really think you can beat me, don't you?" I teased her as we circled each other.

"I'm sure as hell going to try." _Left_. Was all I needed to hear from her thoughts.

I moved to block her next attack but she darted to the right. She spun around and struck my back. I fell forward, my face slamming into the cement floor. There wasn't a second to waste dwelling on the fact that she was so good at lying to me in her mind. I sensed her moving in while I lay still. Just as she flew through the air towards me, I flipped over. My feet kicked out violently, making contact with her stomach.

Rosalie grunted in pain as she toppled to the ground again. "I don't want to fight you," I said from above her.

"Too bad," she replied. She rolled over as my fist soared right into the cement, leaving a fist sized dent precisely where her head had been moments before.

"This is so pointless," I grumbled.

But she came at me from the side again so I stepped gracefully out of the way. We faced each other again, snarling and hissing. Both trying to intimidate the other.

Without warning, a piercing scream broke through the night. It was silenced instantly but not quickly enough for Rosalie and I to miss. Our heads snapped up in the direction the noise had come from.

All thoughts of my sister left my mind at once. The only thing I could think of was Bella. It couldn't be her. She had to be safe.

I ran faster than I ever had in my life to the source of the sound.

**I lied again. Sorry. If I get some REALLY clever and threatening reviews I might have him get to her in the next chapter. If not, let's just say that I found a way to draw it out for a very long time . . .**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is dedicated to daisy5115 and Isabella Simmons for having the most creative threats. Oh, and Maxegirl1313, I LOVED your attempt at humor. It's going on my facebook under my favorite quotes.** **The rest of you, however, need to expand your imaginations! **

Edward's POV

I was approaching the source of the sound at a breakneck pace when I smelled her. _Bella_. I would know that floral scent anywhere. But it was strong. _Too _strong. There was blood. And lots of it.

_No no no no no no! _This could not be happening. I was supposed to be protecting her. So I ran even faster, following the entrancing smell. But not as a predator. I was not tracking to kill. Never again would I have thoughts of hurting her myself. I wouldn't. I _couldn't._

I was drawing nearer now, barely aware of Rosalie trailing along behind me.

Bella's POV

I was going to die. It was the only fact that could register in my mind at that moment. This pain was too much to bare. It flared through my body, burning every inch of me. Inside and out.

Tears poured down my face with my eyes tightly closed. I felt disgusting, humiliated. Death actually sounded all right as he moved in and out of me. My skin was close to tearing. This was too much. I wished wasn't able to feel at all.

His hand was still placed firmly over my mouth, muffling my tortured cries. Right now, death couldn't come soon enough. The only thing I wanted was to make this pain stop, no matter what it cost me.

Suddenly, a furious roar broke through the night. Its sound echoed around the alley, chilling me to my core. I cringed away from the noise.

Then, something happened that I was not expecting. The man on top of me, who, moments before, had been grunting and pushing, was thrown away. The throbbing pain was still there and I had to fight the urge to vomit. I heard a body fall heavily onto the ground and, simultaneously, a terrible ripping sound and the deep growl of a large animal.

"Hurry!" shouted a man's desperate voice. Had I not been so numb, I might have noticed how familiar it sounded.

Vicious snarls ripped through the air. I could hear what sounded like someone attempting to cut a rock with a kitchen knife.

"No no no!" the voice roared "I have him. Take care of her."

"Oh, no." This one seemed like a woman. I couldn't be sure of anything because my eyes were still glued shut. Blocking out the world. "Bella, listen to me. You are safe. He's not going to touch you again. I promise."

Gentle fingers reached out and brushed my bruised cheek. I flinched away from their icy touch, rolling onto my side. I gasped aloud as fire flared through me. Then I was gathered into soft, cold arms. I whimpered quietly but she began speaking again.

"I'm so sorry, Bella." She said. "This is all my fault. Nobody should ever have to go through what you just did. But it's never going to happen again."

She stroked my arm softly. I relaxed slightly. I let myself believe her. The cold radiating off her body was numbing. It felt good. I opened my eyes slightly. Peeking out, I saw a beautiful woman with long golden hair. Her gaze was tortured and angry at the same time. I looked away from those piercing dark eyes. Behind her all I could make out was a white blur and the ever-present growls.

Then there was the sharp snap of a bone breaking, a high-pitched whimpering noise, then silence. All I could see was a blurry figure approaching us.

"Bella," the same man from before whispered. He pulled off his t-shirt and handed it to the woman. "Here, take this."

I was beginning to slip into unconsciousness. My eyelids were sliding closed once again as the woman slipped the shirt over my head.

"No, Bella," the angel's broken voice begged. "Don't give up. Please. Fight, don't ever give up."

But it was too late. I was lifted into the air as the blackness overcame me.

**Short, I know. But he's there! That has to count for something doesn't it? I've noticed that I'm better at writing violence than sex, but what do you expect? I'm only 14.**

**What will the little wolf-boys do when they find out what the vampires did to their 'protector'? Review to find out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I know it has been forever but please don't eat me. I promise I'm not very yummy. **

Rosalie's POV

I sat in the backseat of Edward's Volvo, Bella's head resting in my lap. Edward was driving furiously down the dark streets. My fingers gently combed through Bella's tangled hair.

This was all my fault. Something that horrible should never have happened to Bella. She was young and unselfish. And me . . . well, I was the exact opposite. It I hadn't tried to interfere, Edward would have found her in time to prevent this.

Instead, we had one unconscious girl, two very angry vampires, and a broken treaty on our hands. Edward had killed the only member of the pack who had phased already. Now that he was dead, the others would surely transform to protect the tribe.

We were in way over our heads. I knew that my family would have no trouble getting rid of a few adolescent wolves. But Carlisle would not be happy about it. Emmett would be though, it had been a while since he had seen any good action. Men . . .

Edward slammed on the breaks as we pulled up in front of the house. Bella's limp body jolted forward from the sharp motion. I carefully gathered her up into my arms and hopped out of the car.

My brother was breathing heavily as we ran towards the front door. "Edward," I said cautiously yet firmly. "You need to calm down. You won't be able to help her if you are this upset. Go hunting, I'll take care of Bella."

"I thought you didn't approve of me interfering in her life." He snapped at me.

"I still don't." I said softly. "But she needs you now. This is not going to be easy for her."

Edward stared at the ground. I knew his thoughts were revolving around what had happened to me. But, for once, mine weren't.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure she's alright. But you are going to need to be very patient."

He nodded silently and then took off into the forest without another word.

I entered the house and hurried upstairs.

"Guys," I called, knowing that they would hear me. "I need you all to just leave me alone for a little while. Carlisle, I'm going to need you soon but not yet. Alice, I'm sure you've already seen it but I need you and Emmett to go clean up. Trust me please."

Sometimes I really loved my family. Carlisle was as calm as ever and Jasper tried to ask what was wrong but I ignored him. Alice dragged my husband out of the house, muttering about how she was so stupid and she should have done something to stop this.

I shut and locked the door to my bathroom, not that it would stop any of my family if they were determined to find out what had happened. With Bella still passed out in my arms, I started the water running on our huge tub. It was hard to get the temperature right with my skin as cold as it was.

Once I was sure that the water wouldn't burn of freeze her, I slid Edward's t-shirt over her small fragile form and lowered her into the bathtub. I took great care in scrubbing her down.

Finally, when she was as clean as possible, I put her into a pair of sweat pants and a large shirt. There were bruises forming all over her body and she was going to be really sore. But she was lucky, she had gotten away with her life. And I had been cursed to this.

"Carlisle." I said and the next thing I knew, he was there.

"What happened, Rosalie? Where is Edward?" He was professional as always but I could detect the panic leaking through his peaceful facade.

"Bella was raped. And Edward is hunting." I said simply. I understood that Bella would not want my pity but she still had it.

"Oh, God." He whispered quietly. He rushed over to the side of my bed where I had placed Bella. Carlisle the doctor took over and he was busy examining her. I just stood there, for what felt like ages, tapping my foot impatiently.

"Well, it is not as bad as I could have been." He said, standing up to face me. "She should wake up sometime tonight. Do you know who did it?"

"Sam Uley." I spat, disgusted.

"No." His tone held nothing but horrified denial.

"Yes, Edward killed him."

Carlisle began pacing and frantically running his hands through his blond hair.

"Get a hold of yourself." I spoke steadily. "We can worry about the wolves later. Right now, Bella is more important."

"You are right. It might take a while for the younger ones to phase, and they won't attack until they are strong enough."

"So what about her? What is going to happen?" I was worried that Bella could have become pregnant. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind before now.

"She's not pregnant. She will have to go into the hospital soon. There are some basic diseases that we need to test for. Other than that, she will have a terrible headache but the bruises should be gone in a few weeks. Of course, it will take a lot longer for her to heal emotionally." He was back to his professional manner now.

"How do you know that she's not . . ." I trailed off uncertainly.

"Because I can't smell the semen. That means that you two got him off of her just in time."

I breathed a sigh of relief and allowed myself to relax slightly. Everything would be okay eventually.

XxXxXxXxXxX

I was sitting next to Bella on my bed when she finally began to stir. Groaning painfully, she rolled over and opened her eyes. She couldn't seem to focus on anything, her gazed shifted restlessly from place to place. I waited for the events of tonight to hit her.

Suddenly, Bella tried to lift herself up into a sitting position. But she fell back into the mound of pillows with a loud gasp. Her eyes snapped onto me desperately. I could almost feel the wild panic that was emanating off of her in waves. Poor Jasper. Her breathing was fast and shallow and her heart was racing.

She was going to hurt herself if she didn't relax. Slowly, so she could see me coming, I reached out to touch her cheek. She flinched away form me instinctively and, even though I was expecting it, it killed me to see the naked fear in her eyes.

"R-Rosalie?" She choked out.

"Yes." I said quietly, not making any move to touch her again.

Then she collapsed on my shoulder, violent sobs shaking her body. I wrapped my arms around her protectively and she didn't try to pull away this time. I just held her there, letting her tears stain my shirt.

**I know it's short and I apologize for that. But I promise that the next chapter won't take as long. REVIEW!! even though I don't deserve it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back again!! Aren't you proud of me? I want to thank you guys for all your amazing reviews. They make writing this worth it.**

Edward's POV

I paced the length of the living room furiously. My feet were probably wearing down the expensive carpet but I could have cared less. The only noises coming from Rosalie's room were Bella's loud, heart-wrenching songs.

Then the door burst open suddenly and Alice and Emmett stormed in, smelling strongly of wet dogs. I crinkled my nose in disgust and waited for one of them to speak first.

Finally Alice broke the tense silence. "You broke the damn treaty, Edward. Now those wolves will be after us." She nearly growled.

"Would you have rather me left him alive after what he did?" I shot back angrily. A few deers were not enough to get out my pent up aggression.

"No." Alice said shortly. "He deserved more than what you did, more than death. But it's too late for that now. I just can't figure out why I didn't see this. I'm going to talk to Carlisle." And she was gone.

From upstairs, I heard Bella's sobs break off suddenly. She muttered and small "Sorry," then there was nothing. Just her shallow breathing and racing heart to let me know that she was alive.

Jasper sped down stairs and looked me straight in the eyes. "Edward, I need to talk to you. And Emmett should probably come as well."

I nodded and followed him and Emmett outside. Jasper's thoughts revealed nothing specific, just that he was extremely worried.

"This is really bad." Jasper spoke in a confused voice. "It's like she's shutting herself down. I can tell that she is there, but all I can feel from her is this sort of numb pain."

"You know what happened then?" Emmett questioned.

"I guessed." He replied. "Why else would Rose show such compassion and understanding? Why else would she be anything but self-consumed?"

"Hey," Emmett growled back. "Don't talk about her that way."

"You know it's true."

"Guys!" I nearly shouted. My patience was at it's breaking point. "Can we get back to what is really important here?"

"You're right." Said Jasper. "My point is that you cannot let Bella do this to herself."

My dead heart felt shattered. Nothing should have ever happened to her. I should have been there in time and she should have been okay.

"Edward! You need to stop this right now." Jasper ordered. "Feeling guilty won't help her."

"Then what will?" I said desperately, dropping my head into my hands.

"There I can't help you. I'm sorry." He spoke sadly.

"Emmett?" I asked. "What did you do? With Rosalie, I mean. How did you get her to trust you?"

"It just took time, brother." Emmett said seriously, for once in his life. "Don't touch her unless she touches you first. She's going to be scared even if you know that you won't hurt her."

"But what do I say? How do I act?" I was lost and confused and, for the first time, I didn't know what to do.

"The most important thing is to help her forget. She will probably never truly get over it, Rose still hasn't. Just be yourself but still be what she needs. If she needs to talk, listen. If she needs to cry, let her. If she just needs to know that someone's there for her, be there."

"But I can't read her mind. How am I supposed to know what she does need?"

"Hey, I'm no mind reader. You're going to have to stumble through that alone. Sometimes you can tell, but others, you're just going to have to go with your best guess."

I groaned out loud. Why did this have to be so complicated?

"Edward," Said Jasper. I looked up and he stared into my eyes meaningfully. _I hope you know what you're getting yourself into here. _

"What do you mean?"

Emmett glanced between us suspiciously. "Dammit! I hate you guys and your mind conversations. Just leave me out, why don't you." Then he stomped back into the house like a two year old having a temper tantrum. I almost laughed.

_I mean, you do know that you're falling for her._

"I know." I said softly. I hardly knew her but it was still true. I couldn't help the way I was beginning to feel.

_You're going to have to tell her what we are. Give her a fair choice. _

"But what if she doesn't . . . you know, feel anything for me?"

"Oh, she does." He said aloud, with a sly smile on his face. "Trust me" Then he turned his back to me and slid through the door.

What was he talking about? Bella felt something for me? Something more than friendship, or was that where it ended. As helpful as my brothers were, it seemed that they had only left me with more questions than before.

XxXxXxXxXxX Meanwhile . . .

Bella's POV

After what seemed like forever, I finally realized what I was doing. I pulled away from Rosalie and she let her arms slide from around me. Her skin was just as cold as Edward's.

"Sorry." I said quietly, wiping my eyes.

"Bella," She said softly, in a voice filled with compassion. "Just hear me out, okay. I'm going to tell you a story. It may not be a happy one, but I hope I'll be able to help you.

And so I listened in horrified silence as Rosalie recounted her whole tale. It seemed almost worse than what had happened to me. She had known this man, loved him.

"I know how you feel, I really do." She said. "And I also know that you don't really want to talk about it, that you just want to forget it never happened. But the truth is that you're never really going to, no matter how hard you try. So I'm here for you if you ever need me."

I simply sat there, processing what she was saying. I don't think that the reality of what had happened had truly hit me yet.

"Thank you." My voice was raspy and my throat was dry. At that point, I was doing all I could to keep from crying. The whole situation was too overwhelming to deal with.

After a moment of silence I asked, "How did you do it?"

She understood what I was talking about. "It wasn't easy, I won't lie to you. I think that what helped me the most, actually, was Emmett."

"But how did you do that? Trust anyone?" I was so unsure of how I felt right now, trying to grasp my mind around this painful reality. But if there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that I didn't want any man touching me for a long time.

"Emmett was really amazing. He didn't push me into anything, or make me feel threatened in any way. Mostly, he just took my mind off what had happened. He made me feel like a normal person again, that just because I was raped, didn't mean that I wasn't . . . human."

I stared at her digesting all of this. Finally, I said, "I wish I had someone like that."

Rosalie sighed. "You know, Edward is going to want to see you eventually."

Panic spread through my body like wildfire. He had seen me like that, seen every horrible detail. There was nothing to hide from him, and that was almost more scary than him being a man.

"Shh," Rosalie soothed me. "It's okay, Bella. I promise it's all going to be alright."

My breathing was speeding up at an alarming rate. "Bella.." She said sharply, taking both my hands in hers and forcing me to look into her eyes.

"Edward is not going to hurt you. Do you understand me?" She spoke calming but there was such a firm undertone to her words that I couldn't help but believe her. I nodded slowly, forcing myself to breath normally. "Good. Now, there are some important things that you need to know."

She continued, keeping her voice formal but friendly at the same time. "You are going to have to go to the hospital for test tomorrow, the sooner the better."

She could see that I was about to interrupt. But she cut me off before I could say that I didn't want to. "I know, trust me I do. But it's necessary. Carlisle, Dr. Cullen, looked at you while you were unconscious. He said that you haven't broken anything, just a lot of bruises. But we need to make sure you're not infected with anything."

I shuddered at the thought of Dr. Cullen touching me while I could do nothing about it. Then something horrible dawned on me.

"Rosalie," I said tensely. "What if I'm . . . p-pregnant?"

She paused, biting her lip, then seemed to decide something. "I don't think you are, neither does Carlisle. But when are you expecting your next period?"

"Should be next week."

"Then we won't have to wait too long to find out for sure." She said. Then, after a second, "There's something else you should know, too."

I waited, holding my breath.

"When Edward pulled him off you, the man hit his head on the concrete. He's dead."

Everything was happening so suddenly, I didn't have time to take it all in. Nothing was making sense and I still couldn't see a way out of this. My whole body hurt and there was a throbbing pain in my head.

I faded into unconsciousness to escape.

**Yay long chapters!! I know I probably confused a lot of you with that middle part. The boy's conversation was happening at the same time as the girl's. Both were too wrapped up in their problems that they weren't paying attention to each other.**

**I wanted to update Be My Escape tonight too. But summer school got in the way. The next chapter of that should be up by tomorrow, hopefully. REVIEW PLEASE!! **


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